Senior guard Brent Arrington posted a team-high 17 points as Morehead State rolled to an 82-72 win over Duquesne in the College Basketball Invitational quarterfinals at Johnson Arena on Monday night.
The Eagles improved to 21-12 on the season and the win pushes them into the semifinals of the CBI. The Dukes' season comes to close with a 17-17 record.
"Duquesne is a very good basketball team. I just tip my hat off to my guys for really stepping up and answering the bell, especially on the boards against a big and physical team," said head coach Sean Woods. "Our guys played with great confidence and found a way to get out of here with a victory."
Morehead State led for 36-plus minutes and built a seven-point lead at the end of the first half on Arrington's half court heave at the buzzer. Arrington finished the first half with a team-high 15 points and three made three-pointers.
The Dukes brought the game within three early in the second half, but the Eagles rode the momentum of back-to-back three point buckets by junior guard Xavier Moon to go on a 9-2 run, extending their lead to 53-46.
Duquesne pulled within three again with 9:53 to go, but the Eagles quickly extinguished the comeback effort. A 10-3 run, featuring a give-and-go from senior forward Anthony Elechi to senior forward Lyonell Gaines for a highlight reel dunk, swung the momentum back to the home squad.
Morehead State led 77-67 with under eight minutes to go and built the lead to as much as 12 before cruising to an 82-72 victory.
Moon finished his night with 15 points, hitting 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and shooting a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. Junior guard Corban Collins added 10 points and a team-high six assists. Junior forward Dejuan Marrero came off the bench, scoring 14 points and pulling down eight rebounds.
Arrington finished with 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor, 3-of-4 shooting from deep, and 4-of-4 shooting from the charity stripe. He added three rebounds, three assists, and two steals, and did not commit a turnover.
Gaines added seven points, including a monster slam late in the second half, and a team-high nine rebounds.
The Eagles swiped seven steals and forced 12 turnovers, racking up 21 points off turnovers. The battle of the glass swayed in favor of Morehead State, 39-37.
Early in the game, Duquesne controlled the paint, but the Eagles ended up outscoring the Dukes down low, 30-26.
Micah Mason led Duquesne with 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting. He was 4-of-12 from three-point range.
The CBI semifinals will tip off at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday night as Morehead State travels to Athens, Ohio to take on the Ohio Bobcats. The Eagles are looking to record three postseason wins for the first time in program history.
